2009 Mercedes-Benz E-Class in Detail

[cawimmer430]

Well, OK. Just because it's intentional doesn't make it a good idea. People make mistakes: yes, even Mercedes.

I honestly don't think it is a mistake at all. The C-Class has it, the GLK has it and now the E-Class has it. When I see a C-Class or GLK on the streets of Munich, parked or in motion, I don't even notice "hood gap". Clearly it is an intentional part of the cars styling.

And I know Mercedes' makes mistakes like everyone else, but this is not one of them IMHO.

[cawimmer430]

PRESS RELEASE:

AMG sports package for the new E-Class: Even more emotive appeal and dynamism for the new business saloon

Affalterbach ? With immediate effect, the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class is also available with the AMG sports package. This new, optional package includes sporty and dynamic features, some of which are not available individually. The AMG sports package can be combined with all engine variants and all E-Class design and equipment lines.

The new AMG bodystyling makes for a more sporty appearance and greater

emotional appeal. It comprises an AMG front apron with large cooling air intakes, striking AMG side skirts and an AMG rear apron. The exhaust tailpipes are further attractive features: in the four-cylinder petrol models these polished stainless steel tailpipes are of twin oval design , while four-cylinder diesel models have a single, oval tailpipe in polished stainless steel. All the six and eight-cylinder models feature twin, rectangular tailpipes of polished stainless steel integrated into the AMG rear apron.

Other eye-catching details include the completely newly designed 18-inch AMG light-alloy wheels, which are painted in sterling silver with a high-sheen finish and are shod with 245/40 R 18 wide-base tyres at the front and 265/35 R 18 tyres at the rear. Perforated brake discs and silver-painted callipers bearing the Mercedes-Benz logo at the front, plus the sporty DIRECT CONTROL suspension lowered by 15 millimetres, are also included in the AMG sports package as standard.

Sports seats and an AMG sports steering wheel with DIRECT SELECT shift paddles

The interior features of the AMG sports package impress with a combination of sportiness and style. Thanks to their optimised contours, the front sports seats provide outstanding lateral support when cornering at speed. The new material combination of DINAMICA microfibre/ARTICO man-made leather with light-coloured, twin decorative seams for the seat upholstery, door armrests and centre console lend a touch of enhanced quality to the interior. The AMG sports package also includes floor mats with AMG lettering, a sports pedal cluster in brushed stainless steel with rubber studs, a black roof lining and a shift/selector lever in nappa leather with chrome highlights. Perfect control is ensured by the AMG sports steering wheel with three spokes and a newly designed rim in nappa leather. In models equipped with an automatic transmission, the gears can be shifted manually using DIRECT SELECT shift paddles. The AMG sports package also includes the manual "M" transmission mode.

Depending on the engine variant and the design and equipment line, the AMG sports package costs between 2915 and 4046 euros (incl. 19 % VAT). It is available from the market launch of the new E-Class in March 2009. The AMG sports package is available for numerous Mercedes-Benz models and is proving increasingly popular, not least thanks to its attractive combination of features and favourable price/value ratio.

Via: autoblog

[cawimmer430]

The rear end is perhaps too generic; many Benz models have had simple rear end designs but look like Benzes immediately.

They're essentially just continuing the tradition. Even the W211 E-Class had a pretty "bland rear", so did the W210, W124, even the great W123 and of course the W114/W115.

[Cookie Monster]

Man WTF is up with the column shift gear selector? They look like crap. What's wrong with a simple console gear selector?

[TBR]

That black plastic looks horrendous, hopefully it's just the photograph.

[cawimmer430]

What's wrong with a simple console gear selector?

It's available on the lower-engined models. 6-speed manual. Won't sell very well anyway.

[cawimmer430]

That black plastic looks horrendous, hopefully it's just the photograph.

You need to sit in the car and feel and experience the interior up close. The C-Class interior for example is very HQ and feels very premium once you spend some time inside the car.

[Submariner]

Man WTF is up with the column shift gear selector? They look like crap. What's wrong with a simple console gear selector?

It saves space.  The Mercedes rendered shift looks quite good, IMO, but I would much rather prefer a traditionally mounted gear shift.  Naturally, the manual is located in it's usual position, but we don't get that so I guess it really doesn't matter.

That being said, I'm really warming up to this car.  The exterior has really grown on me.  I'm still not a fan of the sweep in the beltline (it was much less dramatic in the W211) but other than that I am pleased with how this car has turned out. 

[Submariner]

That black plastic looks horrendous, hopefully it's just the photograph.

I think it is the photo.  Everything else is just as hideously grainy (controls, etc) so I would guess the texture is more poor photography than anything. 

[TBR]

You need to sit in the car and feel and experience the interior up close. The C-Class interior for example is very HQ and feels very premium once you spend some time inside the car.

We've been over this 3-4x, I don't care how it feels because I don't ever have a need to touch my dashboard, I care about how it looks and if that picture is at all representative of the E-class interior in black then that is pretty damn pitiful. It's supposed to be a luxury car, it should look and feel like one.

[TBR]

I think it is the photo.  Everything else is just as hideously grainy (controls, etc) so I would guess the texture is more poor photography than anything. 

You're probably right, the concerning part is that it's a Benz press photo so, if anything, it should look better than the real thing.

[Submariner]

You're probably right, the concerning part is that it's a Benz press photo so, if anything, it should look better than the real thing.

Maybe someone did a poor job or resizing it?  If not, Mercedes Benz seriously needs to hire a new team. 

[cawimmer430]

We've been over this 3-4x, I don't care how it feels because I don't ever have a need to touch my dashboard, I care about how it looks and if that picture is at all representative of the E-class interior in black then that is pretty damn pitiful. It's supposed to be a luxury car, it should look and feel like one.

Um...black plastic always looks drab and dreary but that is not an indication of "cheapness". If this were an A6 with black plastic you'd be all over it. 

Heck, the black plastic looks much better than the black plastic inside our W211 E320.

Here are some detailed photographs. The black plastic looks cheap? Huh? 







Interior looks fine to me. Sporty and luxurious.




Don't like black? Get it in cream then.

[Submariner]

We've been over this 3-4x, I don't care how it feels because I don't ever have a need to touch my dashboard, I care about how it looks and if that picture is at all representative of the E-class interior in black then that is pretty damn pitiful. It's supposed to be a luxury car, it should look and feel like one.

I'm still not sure why people think it's cheap looking.  What makes the competition so much better?

[cawimmer430]

I'm still not sure why people think it's cheap looking.  What makes the competition so much better. 

They have an Audi badge! Or a Lexus badge! Lexxxxxxxxxxxuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuus! 

[Cookie Monster]

It's available on the lower-engined models. 6-speed manual. Won't sell very well anyway.

I meant why can't they put the auto shifter in that place as well.

And we don't even get the 6 speed E models.

[Submariner]

I meant why can't they put the auto shifter in that place as well.

And we don't even get the 6 speed E models.

Space for storage (read, cup holders) though I would rather flimsy cup holders I've grown accustomed to with Mercedes Benz, and a traditional gear lever. 

[Cookie Monster]

Space for storage (read, cup holders) though I would rather flimsy cup holders I've grown accustomed to with Mercedes Benz, and a traditional gear lever. 

Other cars have big cupholders and a traditional shifter too.

IMO it looks stupid and reminds me of an old barge with a bench seat.

[TBR]

Um...black plastic always looks drab and dreary but that is not an indication of "cheapness". If this were an A6 with black plastic you'd be all over it. 

That's because the A6's black plastic looks infinitely better than the black plastic as seen in the pictures I commented on.


Plastic that deeply grained would look out of place in a $15k economy car, perhaps if you weren't so busy jacking off to everything Benz you would have noticed that. Like Zach said, it probably just boils down to a bad picture and even worse editing since the pictures you posted look fine (and much better than the S-class or C-class).

[Submariner]

I'm almost positive the cheap looking grain is cause by the poor photography.

[Hachee]

All this time looking at the interior pics in the last month or so, something always struck me as odd, and it wasn't until all your posts about the shifter placement that I realized it's not on the console!  I don't car how they (or any of you (*cough*Wimmer*cough) spin it, it belongs on the console, end of story. 

As for the materials quality, it looks fine in the pictures.  We'll only be able to really judge when we sit in one or live with one.

[cawimmer430]

I'm almost positive the cheap looking grain is cause by the poor photography.

The photography is not poor at all. Grainy black plastic doesn't automatically equal cheap.

These whole "This black plastic looks cheap" arguments are just childish. Both the A6 and E-Class have high quality interiors. Period.

[Hachee]

They're essentially just continuing the tradition. Even the W211 E-Class had a pretty "bland rear", so did the W210, W124, even the great W123 and of course the W114/W115.

I have to disagree.  As I said, the older models were 'bland" too (but I'd really call them simple and clean) but instantly recognizable as Mercedes.  I'm just not seeing "Mercedes" right away when I look at this car.

[cawimmer430]

I don't car how they (or any of you (*cough*Wimmer*cough) spin it, it belongs on the console, end of story. 

I am not spinning any stories about this at all. 

Like every car company, market research is conducted and perhaps, just perhaps, MB has found out that most people buying an E-Class want a column shift for easier access (right behind the wheel). The vast majority of E-Classes are bought with automatics anyway, so that automatically indicates reasons such as their buyers being comfort-oriented (or thinking of the resale value etc.).

People are making a big fuss about something that really isn't an issue at all. I've gone from driving our E320 up to the Benz dealer, testdriving an ML350 or ML320 CDI or GL320 CDI with the column-mounted shifter and having absolutely zero issues with it at all. I know it's behind the wheel and I accept that fact. This doesn't change the way the car drives at all. And if you're the sporty type, rest assured that MB will offer steering wheel mounted paddle shifters or button shifters like they do with various sport packages for various models.

[cawimmer430]

I have to disagree.  As I said, the older models were 'bland" too (but I'd really call them simple and clean) but instantly recognizable as Mercedes.  I'm just not seeing "Mercedes" right away when I look at this car.

I don't know where you live again, Hachee, but I for one would probably have recognized this as a Mercedes because of the design of the rear lights. They're virtually re-shaped W245 B-Class lights. People outside of Europe probably wouldn't see that right away.







Also, MB is entering a new styling direction. They've become bolder in their own way but are still playing the conservative flute in many respects. We should get used to these design changes.

[TBR]

The photography is not poor at all. Grainy black plastic doesn't automatically equal cheap.

These whole "This black plastic looks cheap" arguments are just childish. Both the A6 and E-Class have high quality interiors. Period.

It isn't black plastic in general, it's how the plastic looks in that picture (and you would be hard press to find someone who doesn't think grainy black plastic looks cheap, once again I don't give a damn how it actually feels). If you can't see it then you are even more of a Benz troll than I thought.

[2o6]

It isn't black plastic in general, it's how the plastic looks in that picture (and you would be hard press to find someone who doesn't think grainy black plastic looks cheap, once again I don't give a damn how it actually feels). If you can't see it then you are even more of a Benz troll than I thought.

I think grainy black plastic doesn't look cheap, and it's ALL about how something feels.

[TBR]

I think grainy black plastic doesn't look cheap, and it's ALL about how something feels.

How do you figure? How frequently do you touch the dashboard while driving? But you're constantly looking at it.

[2o6]

How do you figure? How frequently do you touch the dashboard while driving? But you're constantly looking at it.

Yes, you do. When you get in, I am constantly feeling up the dashboard. The way the "grainy" plastic reflects light makes it look much more high quality than than the "grainy" plastics in a subcompact.

[TBR]

Yes, you do. When you get in, I am constantly feeling up the dashboard. The way the "grainy" plastic reflects light makes it look much more high quality than than the "grainy" plastics in a subcompact.

I don't even know what to do with that. Why would you be feeling up the dashboard?